Embassy of Turkey Hosts The Ertegun Jazz Series

The presence of so many ambassadors at the Turkish Ambassador’s residence on Dec. 6 for The Ertegun Jazz Series was assurance that jazz is an international language. The Embassy of Turkey is presenting the series in collaboration with Jazz At Lincoln Center in memory of Ahmet Ertegun, the founder and chairman of Atlantic Records and the son of the second Turkish ambassador to the United States. Ambassador Tan welcomed guests calling Mica Ertegun, who came from New York for the evening, “our princess,” along with Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and other congressmen, “great friends of Turkey.” During the racially segregated period of 1934-1944, the Turkish Embassy was considered a refuge for African Americans as it hosted racially mixed jazz performances. Gretchen Parlato, an inventive modern jazz singer whose work has been hailed as “utterly, unfailingly mesmerizing,” enchanted the audience. She was accompanied by Taylor Eigsti on piano, Justin Brown on drums and Harish Raghavan on bass.